It isn't Wonderful Now
by The Outcasts
Summary: Sonic and the other Freedom Fighters go to defeat Robotnik once and for all when he unleashes his deadly Doomsday Device. But what is happening backstage as this adventure unfolds?


It isn't Wonderful Now- A Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction by Blaze A.K.A Negative Angel.   
  
Author's note: Hey, all. This is Blaze. I told you I'll be back. I finally wrote a sequel to my first fanfic. I know, this type of fanfic has been done before many times, but I wanted to do it myself and add a few twists in it. And the fanfic I'm planning on writing after this (Yep, another one) would only make sense if I write this fanfic. And no, I didn't base it on the last episode of the cartoon (okay, I took bits and pieces from it) so if something is amiss, e-mail me and I'll explain it or whatever. So I'm sorry, this must be boring for you, I'll get going now. I hope you enjoyed this as much as you did the first one. P.S I'm sorry for all the lame jokes I put in this fic.  
  
One more quick note, (sorry ^_^;) my stories don't follow the SatAM shows, or the Archie Comics. And don't worry, they don't follow the Fleetway comics either (not that there's anything wrong with that.) but I may use some references from them. Copyright info will be at the bottom as usual.  
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It isn't Wonderful Now  
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Six weeks after 'Metamorphosis'.  
  
Bored, bored, bored. That's how Sonic felt as he sat at the lookout tower alone. He checked his watch for the billionth time it seemed. 10:45 PM. Cool. Ten minutes left. Once again he looked at the surrounding forest, bathed in shadows. At least that's what it looked like to an average Mobian. Thanks to his mutation, Sonic could now see clearly in the dark. And his normal eyesight had improved, among his other senses. He could hear all the nocturnal animals moving around in the undergrowth. He could smell the fine scent of the forest in the night air. Sonic checked his watch again. His shift was nearly over, Antoine will be here soon. That is, if Antoine remembers he has night watch tonight. Abruptly, Sonic's ear pricked up as he heard someone approaching. Sonic peered over the edge of platform and spotted a shadowy figure. "Sonic. You there?" It was Sally. Sonic smiled. "Come on up, Sal." Sonic stood and helped Sally climb onto the platform. Sally smoothed out her vest and swept her forelock out of her eyes.  
"Evening, princess. What brings you out here on this beautiful night?" Sonic greeted.  
"Well, I decided to keep you company, just in case Antoine forgets that he has duty and you're left out here all night." Sally returned. Sonic sat down and leaned against the tree supporting the platform. "Too kind, Princess. Care to take a seat?" Sally sat down next to Sonic and leaned against him and sighed lightly. Sonic wrapped his arm around Sally's shoulder and looked down at her. "Something bothering ya, Sal?" Sonic queried.   
"Doomsday, that's what."  
"We still have a week, and we're already prepared for it."  
"Are you?" Sally asked, fidgeting with Sonic's fingers. Sonic gave her a mockery hurt look. "Moi? Ready? Sal, I was born ready. But the real question is, are _YOU_ ready?" Sonic retorted. This time Sally gave Sonic a mockery hurt look. "I was born ready, hedgehog." She mocked. Sonic hugged her tightly. "Getting smart, are we?" he joked.  
"Compared to you, everyone is smart." Sally grinned. Sonic grabbed both of Sally's wrists with one hand and squeezed them. "Excuse me? What was that?" Sally cried out. "Let go!"  
"What do you say?"  
"I'm sorry!"  
"Good girl." Sonic released Sally's wrists and watched as Sally rubbed the circulation back into them. "You're stronger than you look, you know!" Sally exclaimed. Sonic just gave her a 'duh' look. Then Sonic slid his arms around her waist and rested his head on Sally's shoulder. "I'm sorry." Sally turned away from Sonic. Sonic smoothed his head against her neck. "Sally..." Sally smirked and cuddled Sonic around his neck. "Suck up."  
"Am not."  
"Yeah you are."  
"Did I hurt you?"  
"Nope."  
"Good." Sonic said looking up at Sally. Sally looked deeply into Sonic's amber eyes. Sonic looked back deeply into Sally's blue eyes. Their lips drew closer and closer to each other's, almost touching. So close...  
"Sonique, are you still zhere?" Sonic and Sally cursed in unison.  
"Yeah, Antoine. I'm here!" Sonic yelled out, glancing at his watch. Antoine was late by ten minutes. "Yet his timing is still perfect." Sonic muttered sarcastically. Antoine climbed up onto the platform and smiled when he saw Sally. "Ah, good evening, my Prinzess. You have come to keep me company, no?" Sally rolled her eyes. "No, Antoine. I came to make sure that you came on time." Sonic stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm outta here. You coming with, Sal?" Sally nodded. "Good night, Antoine." Antoine beamed. "Good night, my Prinzess."  
"Good night, Antoine." Sonic mocked. Antoine scowled. Sally elbowed Sonic in the ribs, which in turn Sonic grabbed Sally by her wrists again. "Do we have to start this again?"  
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Two days before D-Day.  
"Okay, this is the plan. The satellite has been completed and is being held in Factory 07F. If we plant bombs in the surrounding factories that are in a one mile radius from the satellite, that should cause enough commotion so that the SWATbots on duty will be distracted and won't be able to get to the satellite." Uncle Chuck explained to the Freedom Fighters. Sir Charles Hedgehog, Sonic's uncle, was one of the first to be robotized during the early stages of Robotnik's Coup. A few months back, Sonic and the other Freedom Fighters helped him to regain his free will. Uncle Chuck now uses his robotized form to his advantage by becoming a spy for the Freedom Fighters.   
"Make sure you set the timers on the bombs for five minutes. That should give you enough time to get into the factory and plant the more heavy duty bombs onto the satellite."  
"What if one of us gets caught before we have time to plant the bombs onto the satellite?" Rotor asked.  
"Sonic and Sally will come to rescue you, to put it shortly." Uncle Chuck replied.  
"What if one of them gets caught?" Rotor added.  
"HA! The day I get caught is the day Robotnik loses weight." Sonic laughed.  
"I heard that Robotnik joined Jackal Craig, Whiskers." Sally joked. Sonic started at her. "Whiskers?"  
"Like the cat food." Sally snickered.  
"Whiskairz, good one!" Antoine laughed. Sonic leered right into Antoine's face, eyes narrowed to slits. "Call me that and I'll rip your spine out and use it as a coat hanger!" he growled, sharp teeth bared. Antoine immediately backed of, whimpering slightly.  
"Sonic." Uncle Chuck scowled.  
"She started it." Sonic whined, pointing to Sally.   
"That's for the wrists." Sally whispered in Sonic's ear.  
"Okay, you two. Settle down. This is serious business." Uncle Chuck insisted. Sonic sat down and pulled a face at Sally. Sally shot one back.  
"What's up with you 'nd Sally-girl, Sugah-hog?" Bunnie proclaimed. Sonic shrugged. "Sal's been a little stress over D-Day, so I'm kinda helping her not think about it too much. The last thing we need is her having a nervous breakdown."  
"And you?"  
"What about me?"  
"Are you stressin' ovah D-Day?"  
"Me?!" Sonic snorted, "I'm too cool to stress." He said as he ran his fingers through his quills. Sally heard everything Sonic said and rolled her eyes. Bunnie giggled at Sally's reaction.  
"D-Day is in two days. You better start preparing now." Uncle Chuck stressed. "I better head back before Robotnik notices I'm gone." he added. Uncle Chuck turned to Sonic. "Take care, Sonie."  
"You too, Uncle Chuck." Sonic returned.  
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Robotropolis.  
"Beautiful, isn't it, Snively?" Robotnik boasted as he admired the satellite. Snively only nodded. "Yes, Sir. Beautiful."  
"Once I activate the satellite, all of my Sub-bosses will activate and begin destroying Mobius, one continent at a time, all at the same time. There is no way the Freedom Fighters will be able to stop me now!" Robotnik gloated. "Snively, check all the systems, I don't want any errors when I do activate the satellite. Is that clear, Snively?"  
"Of course, Sir." Snively replied.   
"Oh, and one more thing, Snively." Snively froze. "Yes, Sir?"   
"Recall all worker-bots to Sector 2L and send out the command to deactivate themselves once they arrive."  
"What for, Sir?" Snively asked.  
"I plan on destroying them, so if this plan, which I doubt, doesn't work, I still win in the end." Robotnik simply replied.   
"Very good, Sir." Snively said as he turned to the main computer and sent out the command.  
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Uncle Chuck's hideaway.  
Uncle Chuck was checking over his equipment in his hideaway, making sure that everything was functioning properly. When he was sure everything was in perfect working order, he started setting himself up so that he could listen in on Robotnik's conversations. But before he could do that, a strange feeling came over him. Unable to control himself, he walked up the stairs inside his hideaway and exited out the hidden door. Mindlessly, he headed towards where he was commanded to go. Sector 2L.  
Once he arrived in Sector 2L, there was a large crowd forming, all consisting of all the Mobians that have been robotized. Just like all the others, Uncle Chuck too deactivated himself, awaiting his planned fate unawares.  
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D-Day.  
"Yo, Sal. Are we cruising or what?" Sonic yelled out.  
"Just a sec, Sonic, please sit down" Sally yelled back. Sonic sat down quietly beside Sally, peering over her shoulder to see what she was doing. All the core Knothole Freedom Fighters were crouched around Sally in Robotropolis' junkyard. Sally was scanning the city with her palm top computer, Nicole, for any SWATbot activity. Every so often, Sally would check her watch to make sure that they were on schedule. Finally she looked up to the others. "Everything is going according to plan. The SWATbots are patrolling the factory the satellite's being held in as we speak. We'll execute the attack in about half an hour's time from now." Sally informed. Everyone nodded in agreement. Sally again glanced at her watch then turned to Sonic. "Charles should have been here by now, he's never late for a meeting." She said with concern in her voice.   
"Want me to check out his place, Sal?" Sonic asked.  
"Yes. If he isn't there, check the blind spot in case he left a message for us." Sally said. Sonic grinned. "Back in a flash, Sal." And with that, he revved up his legs and sped off leaving Sally and the others holding on to anything that would keep them from being blown away.  
"Where's sugah-hog goin', Sally-girl?" Bunnie asked when the powerful winds had calmed down. Sally turned to face her friend. "He just went to see what was keeping Charles. I'm starting to get worried, Sir Charles has never been late before."  
"Ah'm sure he's just doin' some last minute work before coming here, Sally-girl." Bunnie reassured. Sally sighed. "Maybe you're right."  
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"Yo, Unc! You in here?" Sonic called out. Silence answered him. Sonic walked around the quiet hideaway, ears pricked up and amber eyes reflecting in the dim light. His slit pupils were wide so as they could pick up as much light as possible so as he could see perfectly in the dim light. "Uncle Chuck, where ya at?" He called out once again. Once again, silence answered him. Sonic's ears cocked from one direction to the next, but the only sound he could hear was the dull clicking noise his metal based sneakers made on the concrete ground. Finally, Sonic concluded grimily that his uncle wasn't in there and decided to check out the blind spot as Sally had suggested. Sonic revved his legs up and sped out the hideaway.  
Sonic cautiously looked around for any SWATbots before running up to the blind spot. The blind spot was an ancient statue of a gargoyle, which its head could be easily removed to reveal that the statue was hollow. This was perfect for hiding secret messages, as Sir Charles has done many of times if he couldn't meet the Freedom Fighters in person. Sonic removed the gargoyle's head gently and looked inside. Empty. Sonic reached his hand inside to double check but came up dry. Now Sonic was getting worried. Sonic ran off the where the Freedom Fighters were waiting, hoping that his uncle was there.  
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"Did you find him, Sonic?" Sally asked when Sonic ran up to her. Sonic shook his head sadly. "He wasn't in his hideaway, and there wasn't anything in the blind spot either." Sonic said. Sally sighed with dismay. "We'll have to go ahead with the attack without him."  
"Where do you think he could be, Sal?" Sonic questioned quietly. Sally saw all the worry in Sonic's eyes and hugged him gently. "Don't worry, Sonic. I'm sure he's all right." Sonic sighed and nuzzled Sally's cheek. "Yeah, I know."  
"Come on, Nicole just found out that Robotnik is getting ready to activate the satellite and we have to beat him to it before he does." Sally coaxed. Sonic nodded and walked with her to meet the others. When they reached the others, Tails saw them first and ran up to them. But when he saw the worried look on his friends' faces he stopped short. "What's the matter? Did Robotnik activate the satellite already?" the small fox cub asked with fear. Sonic flashed his familiar grin at Tails. "No way, bro. Ol' Buttnik isn't gonna get the drop on us." Tails perked up slightly. "So why do you two look worried?"  
"That's my fault. I think I got some ideas into Sonic's head and now my worry has spread to him." Sally chimed in, messing up Sonic's quills playfully to cover up the truth. Sonic quickly smoothed out his quills and wrapped his arm around Sally's waist. "Like as if I'd worry, right, bro?" Sonic stated, facing Tails. Tails giggled. "So where's Uncle Chuck? Isn't he suppose to be here by now?" Sonic looked at Sally with a pleading look in his eyes. 'What do we say?' was the unasked question Sonic's eyes were saying to her.  
"Uncle Chuck said that he'll be meeting us in one of the factories when it's time to attack, Tails." Sally finally said after a quick search for and answer.  
"Oh, okay. Cool." Tails said, satisfied with the answer. Sally mental breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Sonic. Sonic shot her a thumb's up. Sally returned the gesture.  
"Let's just hope that that little white lie is closer to the true, Sal." Sonic declared. Sally nodded in agreement.  
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Robotnik's Control Centre.  
"How much longer until the satellite gains enough power to be activated, Snively?" Robotnik queried his lackey.  
"Thirty minutes, Sir." Snively replied. Robotnik grinned evilly. "Excellent, Snively. Activate the satellite as soon as it does."  
"Yes, Sir." Snively said. Robotnik turned to leave, but then stopped himself and glanced at Snively. "Snively. What is the rate of the destroyed worker-bots?" Snively typed in a few commands into the computer before speaking. "Fifty-five percent has been destroyed, Sir. It'll take approximately one hour before all the worker-bots are destroyed."  
"Excellent, Snively. Make sure you deactivate the controls in that sector, including the back up systems." Robotnik said as he left the Control Centre.  
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"Everyone ready?" Sally whispered.  
"Ready." everyone replied.  
"Remember, try to avoid the SWATbots at all costs. If necessary, distract them away from your given area. Keep the commotion down so that we do get Robotnik's attention." Sally instructed. She then glanced at Sonic. "Do you understand, Sonic? Keep away from the SWATbots."  
"Yeah yeah, Sal, I gotcha. No prob." Sonic hastily replied. Sally was taken aback from Sonic harsh answer. And from the look on his face, she knew that his mind was more focused on trying to figure out where his missing uncle was. Pushing the thought aside for the moment, she extended her hand to the center of the circle formed by the Freedom Fighters. The others followed her lead and extended their hands to the center, placing their own hand on top of each other's.  
"Freedom Fighters forever." Sally boldly remarked.  
"Freedom Fighters forever." everyone yelled in unison. Each Freedom Fighter then parted ways and moved to their given positions. Before Sonic had a chance to speed off, Sally placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Try not to worry about it, Sonic. I'm sure he's all right." Sonic smiled faintly at Sally. "I know."  
"Good luck, Sonic." Sally said. Sonic flashed her a thumbs up. "Back atcha, Sal." then sped off.  
Sonic stood outside a large factory, watching the two SWATbots guarding the main door. Sonic was about five factories away from the factory holding the satellite. Sonic was also three factories away from which the worker-bots were being destroyed. Sonic walked stealthily into the shadows, his dark indigo fur bending perfectly in them, and carefully walked around the SWATbots and into the factory undetected. The factory Sonic had entered was one of the many factories that produced SWATbots. At the moment, construction was underway and many surveillance 'bots were watching over the factory for any interfering Freedom Fighters. Sonic too was watching, but instead he was watching the surveillance 'bots. When he was sure the coast was clear, he crept out of his hiding place and made his way under one of the conveyor belts. The conveyor belt was covered with hundreds of SWATbot parts and was travelling deeper into the factory to be put together. Sonic waited a few moments before planting one of the bombs he produced from his backpack onto the support bar of the conveyor belt. Satisfied, Sonic slipped out from under the conveyor belt and ran to another part of the factory. Once he was done, he sneaked out of the factory and moved on to the next.  
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Sally sat quietly in Robotropolis' junk yard, looking intently at the holographic map of the surrounding factories hovering in front of her from Nicole. In one area were what looked like randomly placed red dots, but Sally knew the significance behind them.  
"Sonic's planted his first set of bombs in Factory 12K and is moving to the next one." Sally said to Nicole. "Bunnie and Tails have planted their set of bombs in Factory 08D. And Rotor and Antoine has planted their set in Factory 04D. So far so good." she concluded.  
"Let's just hope you haven't spoken too soon, Princess." Nicole said in her calm voice.  
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Robotnik's command center.  
"Seventy percent destroyed, Sir." Snively reported as Robotnik walked back into the room.  
"Excellent, Snively. How much longer until the satellite can be activated?" Snively typed in a few commands into the computer. "Twenty minutes, Sir."  
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"Get a move on, guys. We've got ten minutes left." Sally's voice said to each of the Freedom Fighters' comm-links. Sonic picked his up. "Cutting it a little close aren't we, Sal?"  
"I know, but we have to distract Robotnik enough so that we can get to the satellite, Sonic." Sally explained.  
"Gotcha, meet you all at Sector 2L. Sonic out."  
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Sonic quickly made his way through his second factory and entered his third. All the heavy gray machinery were working at a fast rate. The noise in the factory was almost to the point of deafening Sonic. Sonic flattened his ears against his skull to block out the constant racket. "At times like this, I wish I didn't have sensitive hearing." Sonic muttered to himself, which even he barely heard over the noise. Sonic reached into his backpack and pulled out a small bomb. After pressing a few buttons on the back of it, he pressed it against the wall. The bomb immediately clicked onto the metallic wall as the built-in magnet activated. Sonic then sped to another area of the factory and planted another magnetic bomb. When all his bombs were gone, he dusted off his hands and looked around the factory. The others should be there soon. Sonic's eyes wondered to the working machinery. A large conveyor belt high above the ground was carrying what looked to Sonic old robot parts to a large container of melted metal, dropping what it was carrying into it. Sonic watched in silence, wondering why Robotnik would want to destroy robots. Sonic continued watching, eyes falling onto one of the robots that was nearing the melted metal.  
"Funny, that looks like a worker-bot." Sonic thought to himself. Then it clicked. Sonic stared at the robot with horror when he realized what he just thought was true. Robotnik was destroying the worker-bots! Sonic looked around the machinery frantically for the control panel. He spotted it above the catwalk, which was high above the ground. Sonic sped up the stairs faster than he ever did to the catwalk and reached the control panel. He instantly punched the large red button marked 'off', but to Sonic's horror, the machinery didn't obey. Sonic punched it again, panic rising. Still it didn't obey. Sonic's heart was drumming in his ears as he looked for the back-up panel. "Come on, come on. Where are you?" Sonic hissed. There's always a back-up, so where was it? Sonic spotted it on the other side attached to a long thick chain. Sonic ran along the catwalk and got to the back-up switch. Only problem was he couldn't reach it. Sonic looked back at the conveyor belt and felt his blood turn cold. There, laying deactivated on the conveyor belt and heading for the melted metal, was his own uncle. Sonic panicked and tried desperately to grab hold of the back-up switch. It was no use, he couldn't reach it, and his uncle was getting closer to his doom! Sonic climbed up onto the railing of the catwalk and jumped, arms stretched out. He caught hold of the chain and punched the red button. Nothing happened.  
"Don't do this to me!" Sonic screamed, sweat pouring down the side of his head as he continue to punch the button. Sonic suddenly lost his grip and plummeted to the ground. Sonic landed hard on his left shoulder and cried out in pain. Sonic watched in horror as his uncle, along with the last of the worker-bots fell into the melted metal.  
"No...NO! UNCLE CHUCK!" Sonic yelled, tears rolling down his cheeks. Sonic collapsed to the ground, sobbing heavily. His uncle was gone, along with the other worker-bots, and there was nothing Sonic could do about it. Sonic felt helpless.  
"Sugah-hog?!" someone called from behind Sonic. Sonic didn't even look up as Bunnie and Tails ran up to him. Bunnie crouched down beside Sonic and laid her normal hand on his injured shoulder. Sonic yelped out and held his shoulder tenderly, still not looking up.  
"Sugah-hog, what's wrong? Wha' happened?" Bunnie asked, a worried tone in her voice. Finally Sonic looked up at Bunnie. Bunnie gasped when she saw that his eyes were red from crying. Tails looked at Sonic in shock. "Sonic, what's wrong?" Tails questioned, terrified from the look on his best friend's face. Sonic didn't say anything for a while, he just looked down at the ground still sobbing. Bunnie wrapped her arm round Sonic's shoulders, being careful not to touch his injured one. "Come on, Sonic. Wha' happened?" Sonic took in a trembling breath and covered his eyes with one hand. "Uncle Chuck...and the worker-bots...th...they were destroyed." he fumbled as a fresh batch of tears surfaced.  
"What?! How?" Bunnie cried out. Sonic just pointed at the still operating machinery.  
"We have ta shut down that thing!" Bunnie exclaimed.  
"Don't you think I've already tried that?! Robotnik deactivated the control panels. We can't shut it down! And even if we could, it's too late!" Sonic yelled, voice cracking at the end. Bunnie and Tails recoiled in terror. Sonic buried his face in his hands as he cried again, body trembling.  
"Oh, Sugah-hog. I'm so sorry." Bunnie whispered, as tears began welling up in her own eyes. She hugged the sobbing hedgehog. Sonic accepted this and cried in Bunnie's shoulder. Tails bowed his head, tears also in his eyes. His large ears suddenly twitched when he heard the sound of footsteps on the metal floor. Tails lifted his head and saw Sally, Rotor and Antoine walking towards them. When Sally saw Sonic, she ran to him and crouched down beside him. "Sonic?"  
Sonic just continued crying. Sally faced Bunnie. "Bunnie, what's going on?" Bunnie wiped her eyes with her normal hand. "Robotnik destroyed the worker-bots." she said in a dead voice. Sally stared at Bunnie numbly. "All of them?" Bunnie nodded. Sally gently cupped her hand under Sonic's chin as best she could. Sonic looked up at her with tear filled eyes. Sally looked back with a sadden expression on her face. "Sonic, I'm so sorry." Sonic carefully pushed Bunnie away from him and looked down at the ground. Everyone stood around Sonic as he slowly pulled himself together. Suddenly, Sonic's eyes narrowed and blazed a pure white. His claws unsheathed themselves as he curled up his spread out fingers, digging themselves into the ground. Sonic gritted his teeth and growled viciously. "No," he said slowly, voice dripping with venom, "Robotnik's gonna be the one that'll be sorry!" Sonic stood up and faced the others. "How many heavy duty bombs do we have, Sally?" he questioned. Sally stood numbly for a moment before answering. "At least fifteen."  
"Plant seven of them on the satellite, and plant the rest of them around Robotnik's Control Center. There's a great chance of him being there when the bombs go off." Sonic ordered.   
"Sonic, we can't do th..." Sally was cut short from Sonic's outburst.  
"I don't care! Robotnik is going to pay for this one way or the other!" Sonic roared, literally. "We'll activate the bombs all at the same time."  
"Sonic, be reasonable." Sally pleaded. Sonic just glared at Sally coldly, eyes still blazing. Sally shrank back in fear.  
"Just do it." Sonic said menacingly. Sally stood there for a moment, then mumbled the order to do what Sonic said to do. The Freedom Fighters departed awkwardly, every so often looking back at Sonic both with concern and fear.  
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Five minutes later.  
All the Freedom Fighters stood at the outskirts of the city, waiting for the countdown to take place. Sonic sat away from the others, cradling his left arm against his chest and lost in his own thoughts. Sally looked over at him, wondering what was going through his mind. Nicole beeped suddenly from her place on Sally's boot. Sally bent over and picked up Nicole, opening the small computer.  
"Satellite will be activated in thirty seconds, Sally." the computer reported calmly. Sally quickly reached into her backpack and pulled out the remote detonator. She pressed a few buttons on it and the number twenty-five appeared on the small screen. Twenty-five, twenty-four, twenty-three...  
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Robotnik's command Center.  
Robotnik watched the screen as the countdown began. Twenty-two, twenty-one, twenty...  
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Nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen... The Freedom Fighters watched the screen, as if their stares would so how help the countdown move faster. Eleven, ten, nine...  
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Robotnik's Command Center.  
Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Zero.  
"Snively, activate now!" Robotnik commanded.  
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Zero. Sally punched the red button on the remote detonator. The others looked towards the city as the explosions sounded.  
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Robotnik's Command Center.  
The command center quaked violently, causing Robotnik and Snively to trip and fall to the ground heavily. Robotnik staggered to his feet and shakily made his way to the far wall of the command center. Robotnik lifted a small cover on the wall, revealing a keypad. He pushed what seemed like a random combination of numbers, and in response a large panel slid opened. Another door slid open to Robotnik's personal hover unit. Robotnik stepped in hastily.  
"Sir!" Robotnik turned and saw Snively scurrying towards him. Snively tried to get inside Robotnik's hover unit, but Robotnik shoved him back roughly. "Sorry, Snively. But there is only room for one." he hissed coldly. The hover unit's door slid close with a sharp hiss and took off just as the whole building began shaking violently.  
It seemed like an eternity before the supports of the egg-shaped building cracked and collapsed on itself. Around the city, factories exploded, sending debris consisting of shrapnel and glass soaring through the air. The factory holding the satellite burst into flames. The temperature inside the factory rose to an unbearable degree, and slowly the satellite began to shimmer and melt from the intense heat. Robotnik's black and red hover unit blazed through the air, desperate to escape the destruction inflicted by the Freedom Fighters. A large piece of concrete debris hit the hover unit squarely, causing the aircraft to go into a barrel roll. The engines stalled before spluttering to a halt. The aircraft descended into a nose-dive and fell back towards the ground. The hover unit hit the ground nose first and crumbled like a paper aeroplane. It, like the rest of the city, exploded into flames.  
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The Freedoms Fighters watched in awe as the city exploded in a blaze of glory. They all saw Robotnik's trademark hover unit descend away from the city then fall to the ground. Although they couldn't see all the damage from where they stood, they could only visualize what it must have looked like from up close. Sally glanced at all the Freedom Fighters to see the expression on their faces. They were all similar, if not exactly the same. They all showed expressions of awe, happiness and victory, that being the way Sally felt at that moment. Sally looked over to where Sonic sat and felt her spirits fall slightly. Sonic watched the whole thing unfold, the expression on his face unreadable. But the look in his eyes told Sally everything. Sally turned to the others. "Come on, let's go home and tell everyone the news." Everyone nodded in agreement and turned to start the long walk home. Sonic stood and walked behind the group, eyes on the ground and still cradling his arm. Sally watched Sonic with concern, wishing that she could say or do something to lift his spirits, but she knew that nothing would help. Not now anyway.  
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Knothole Village.  
The Freedom Fighters arrived in Knothole fifteen minutes later. They all made their way to the center of the village, where the large gong that was used for alerting the residents of an immediate meeting, all except Sonic who went straight to his hut without a word. Sally picked up the large hammer and struck the gong once, emitting a low rumbling ring that echoed throughout the village. Slowly, the villagers emerged from their huts and gathered around the gong. The crowd murmured among themselves in hoping that someone knew what was happening when Sally raised her hands to gain their attention. The murmuring stopped and all eyes fell towards Sally. Sally stood to her full height. "My Fellow Freedom Fighters," she began, "Robotnik is finally gone."  
Everyone gaped at Sally, what she just said not sinking in straight away. When it finally did they all cheered loudly, throwing their arms in the air. But when they saw that Sally was waiting for them to calm down they stopped.  
"However, this battle wasn't won without a major lose. In the process of his master plan, Robotnik destroyed all the robotized Mobians in the city." she concluded with a heavy heart. The crowd gasped, a few crying out in grief. Sally waited patiently before continuing. "Although this is a time for celebration, this is also the time for mourning. Not just for the families and friends we have lost today, but for the friends and family we have lost throughout Robotnik's reign of evil. But we must be thankful, for surviving this long and for finally beating Robotnik. We will now be able to reclaim our homes and start new lives, and repair the damage Robotnik has done to the planet." The crowd cheered loudly at this, louder than before. (Author's note: I know, this sounds whacked. But I need to somehow continue the story and...how the heck did I get in here?!)   
The village celebrated that night. Sally and Rotor had contacted the other Freedom Fighter groups around Mobius to tell them that Robotnik was finally defeated. That resulted in more celebrating across the planet as the news spread all over to the regions Knothole couldn't reach via communication linkage. Five days had pass until the celebrations had finally died down and right now everyone in the village was helping to clear away the mess, all except Sonic, who hadn't emerged from his hut since the Freedom Fighters had returned from Robotropolis that eventful day.   
Sonic had basically shut himself away from the others, closing his windows and locking his door. When Sonic didn't come out of his hut on the sixth day, Sally had decided to try to talk to him in hoped of bringing him out of his depression. Sally stepped up to Sonic's hut and knocked on the door. "Sonic. Are you in there?" she yelled out.  
"Go away!" was the harsh reply from within.  
"Please, Sonic. I just want to talk to you." Sally pleaded.  
"I don't want to talk, leave me alone." Sonic yelled back. Sally sighed and tried the door. It was locked. She considered asking Bunnie to break it down, but then turned down the thought. That would only make Sonic more withdrawal and more angry than he is now.  
"Please, Sonic. Unlock the door." Sally begged. Silence. Sally pressed her ear against the door. She couldn't hear anything. Sally twisted the door handle quietly and found that it had been unlocked. Well, at least we're making progress, Sally thought to herself. Sally opened the door and walked in, then waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim light in Sonic's room. As mentioned before, Sonic had closed all of his windows, blocking out any sunlight. The only source of light in the room was a small oil lamp located on Sonic's bedside table, which emitted a dull glow. Pushed into a corner was a bed, and laying down on it with his back facing Sally was Sonic. Sally approached Sonic quietly, eyes falling to his injured shoulder. A large swollen bruise had developed and was coloured a putrid purple that showed from under his deep indigo fur. Sally sat down on Sonic's bed and waited for a moment. Sonic slowly peered over his shoulder at Sally. Shadows under his large eyes were visible, obviously from lack of sleep. Sonic sat up, wincing in pain when he moved his shoulder, and leaned against the bed head.  
"Have you gotten any sleep, Sonic? You look exhausted." Sally asked cautiously. Sonic shrugged. "I'm fine."  
"You don't look it."   
"I said I'm fine." Sonic muttered, anger rising slightly. He then lowered his head, ashamed. Sally slipped her hand into his. "Sonic, I know you're upset but this is unhealthy. When was he last time you've slept?"  
"Six days ago." Sonic said honestly.  
"Eaten?"  
"Six days ago." Sonic said in a dead voice. Sally squeezed his hand sympathetically. "Sonic, it's been six days. I know that you've just lost a loved one, but you have to move on. You can't just stay here a mope." Sally insisted.  
"No, but I'm willing to try to." Sonic said flatly. Sally stood firmly and continued. "We've all lost someone throughout the years, we lose someone everyday. That's expected in..."  
"Don't you think I know that?!" Sonic yelled. "Of course we lose someone everyday! I know that everyone here has lost someone, some lost them only six days ago!" Sally was taken aback by this. Sonic ignored her and continued his anger binge. "How many people do you know that have lost someone they love three times? Uncle Chuck was the only family I had left since my parents died. I only just gotten him back a couple of months ago and now he's gone again, for good this time!"  
"Sonic, we had no way of knowing that something like this was going to happen." Sally coaxed. That only seemed to make Sonic even more angry. "No, but I should have known that Robotnik would pull a stunt like that as soon as Uncle Chuck went missing." Tears were falling from Sonic's eyes now as he recalled what happened that day.   
"Sonic, please. It wasn't your fault. I should have..."  
"I could have done something to stop Robotnik from doing that, but it was too late. By the time anyone found out they were all destroyed." Sonic closed his eyes and turned his back on Sally.   
"Sonic...?"  
"I don't want to talk anymore. Just...leave me alone, Sally." Sonic whispered, voice cracking. Sally sighed and got up. "I'm sorry, Sonic." Sally whispered, not sure if he heard her, and walked out of the hut.  
Once outside, Sally saw that all the Freedom Fighters were gathered outside of Sonic's hut.  
"Is he all right?" Rotor asked. Sally shook her head. "I don't know, I tried to talk to him but that only seem to make it worse."   
"Ah'm sure he'll be all right, Sally-girl. He just needs some time to himself before he finally snaps outta his depression." Bunnie reassured Sally. Sally sighed. "I hope you're right, Bunnie."  
Later that night Sally went to check up on Sonic. Sonic had decided to leave his door unlocked to Sally's relief, so she had walked right in. The forgotten oil lamp was still burning away but now emitted barely any light as the rope inside withered away. Sonic was still lying on his bed with his back facing Sally. She peered over Sonic's shoulder and found him with his eyes closed. Sally touched Sonic's cheek softly, feeling that his fur was slightly wet. The grief and exhaustion from the last six days had finally taken its toll on the hedgehog and he had cried himself to sleep. Sally pulled out a spare blanket from Sonic's closet and spread it over him. She then blew out the oil lamp and left the hut quietly.  
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The next day.  
Sally, Bunnie and Rotor were sitting in Sally's hut, gathered around her coffee table and looking at a series of plans.  
"...we should be able to tear down what's left of Robotropolis and hopefully be able to clear away all the debris." Sally said.  
"What about all the toxic waste and chemicals, Sal?" Rotor inquired.  
"Not sure really. We could dispose them in the Great Unknown, but something might happen to them."  
"Such as?" Bunnie asked.  
"They could get absorbed into the soil and cause some mutations in what little plant life there is growing there. Or someone could get their hands on it." Sally responded. Just then there was a small timid knock at the door. Sally got up and opened the door. She was surprised when she saw Sonic standing in front of her door.   
"Um, Sally. Can I talk to you for a sec?" Sonic asked quietly, rubbing his injured shoulder nervously. Sally stepped away from the door. "Of course, Sonic. Come in." she offered. Sonic walked in and waited for Sally. Bunnie and Rotor stood up. "Maybe we should go." Rotor suggested. Sonic lifted his hand and shook his head. "No, it's okay. I want you guys to hear this too." Sonic reassured.  
"So what did you want to talk about, Sonic?" Sally asked as she sat down beside Rotor and Bunnie. Sonic coughed before speaking. "Um, first off I wanted to apologize to you, Sal, for yelling at you yesterday and at Doomsday. I know you were just trying to help but I kept acting like a complete jerk. And I'm sorry for the way I acted back at Doomsday and for scaring you guys." Sonic said, looking at Sally and the others in the eye for the first time. Sally stood up and hugged Sonic tightly. "It's all right, Sonic. I understand what you were going through." Sonic hugged Sally back and kissed her. "Thanks." Bunnie too stood up and patted Sonic on his back. "Don't worry none about it, Sugah-hog. We forgive ya." Sonic smiled. "Cool. So what's everyone been doing while I was locked away in my room?"   
"I've sent a small team of workers to look over the city and see if it's safe to start building soon. Hopefully we'll be able to." Sally answered. "They should be reporting back in about an hour from now."  
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Epilogue.  
The once eerie city of Robotropolis laid completely in ruins. The center of the city, where the famous egg shaped building once stood, was nothing more than a pile of rubble. SWATbots parts and bodies were shattered across the area, factories and toxic trash reduced to molten slag. Some parts of the city reeked of poison fumes. About a mile away from the city, a lone hover unit that was reduced to scrap metal laid in a smothering fire. Not far from the site was a large body. Blood covered the now still form of Dr. Robotnik. The body was discovered and was disposed of into the Mobian Harbour. Snively's body, however, was never found. It was presumed that he either somehow escaped the explosions or perished in the fires. No body knew. Five months later, the great city of Mobotropolis was rebuilt. Robotnik's eleven year reign of terror was finally over. Mobius was free once more.  
  
The End.  
  
(Completed on 12 November 2000)  
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Well, what did you think? Did it suck? Did it rock? Could you do better? *Hands you a pen and piece of paper* (well, I'll like to see you create a dang masterpiece). Send all comments and suggestions here: l_xtreme@hotmail.com. If you want to send a flame, go ahead. I could use a good laugh nowadays.  
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LEGAL SHLICK - I REALLY hate these things, but it has to be done.  
Sonic the hedgehog and other characters are all owned by SEGA and   
respective companies. This story is not to be used for   
profit. If you want this on your web site, please e-mail me. Thank you   
for reading this fanfic, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed   
writing it.   
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I just don't understand how  
You can smile with all those tears in your eyes   
Tell me everything is wonderful now...  
Everclear-Wonderful  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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